10 Facts About Dirty Carpets (You Probably Didn’t Know)
If you’re like most of us, you probably know by now that carpets in our homes or offices are subject to a lot of wear and tear. They have to withstand spills, stains and discoloring, so you ultimately decide to replace them. However, are you aware that you can extend the useful life of your carpets by simply taking proper care of them? In fact, neglecting the regular maintenance and the professional cleaning of your carpets may lead to the voiding of the manufacturer warranty. Regular cleaning is the way to go if you want to enjoy fresh and nice looking carpet for longer.
There are several reasons why you should ensure your carpets are always clean. Your own health is at stake, so take it seriously by all means.
Here are the ten things you may not know about your dirty carpets.
1. Carpets Are Magnets For Dirt And Grime
Your carpet acts like a magnet for oily residue you, your pets and your children carry from outside. This residue dries onto your carpet and locks-in dirt and grime to your carpet fibers. After a while, you may even notice that your carpets change color. You’ll end up with visible traffic lanes that can be difficult if not impossible to remove.
2. Sandy Soil Can Damage Carpet Fibers
Have you ever taken a close look at your carpets? If so, you may have noticed that can’t reach to the bottom of the fibers. Slowly but surely, sand accumulates and leads to the premature wear and tear of your carpets, without you even having a clue about what’s actually going on.
3. Dirty Carpets Are Prone To Accumulating Germs That Could Make You Ill
Your carpets are the perfect traps for airborne particles such as allergens, dust mites, bacteria, cigarette smoke, tars and many other residues or pollutants. By the time the carpet becomes saturated with these particles, it can’t trap them any longer. Only professional carpet cleaning can remove these pollutants from your carpets, so make sure you use them on regular basis.
4. Dirty Carpets Are Bad For Rhinitis, Asthma And Allergy Sufferers
Carpets can trap dust mites that are responsible for asthma attacks and allergy flare-ups. In fact, the droppings of these mites are the real culprit for such symptoms. Many people ignore these facts and seek for medical attention when they should actually take better care of their carpets. Even healthy people may develop respiratory problems if they live in homes with dirty carpets.
5. Dirt Can Make Carpets Heavier
Believe it or not, carpets are able to hold as much as four times their weight in dirt and grime. They attract dust mites, pet dander, pet hair, pet urine particles, dead skin cells, bacteria, mold spores, and many other potentially allergenic particles.
This is one good reason for you to vacuum clean your carpets at least once a week. Moreover, you should use professional carpet cleaning services about once or twice a year, in order to ensure that you remove all of the allergens that could make you ill.
6. The Five-Second Rule Does Not Work
Do you know how many people admit that they drop food on their carpets and still eat it? The five-second rules says that you can safely eat this food if you remove it within the first five seconds from the moment you spill it. In fact, you’re at serious risk of putting bacteria into your mouth and then into your stomach. Bacteria can live in carpets for up to one month, so it’s surely going to get on your food.
7. Don’t Wear Your Outdoor Shoes While Walking On Your Carpets
Many people walk on their carpets wearing their outdoor shoes. This is nothing but a source of dirt and germs. Furthermore, it helps grinding dirt deep into the carpet fibers, making it impossible to remove by vacuuming. Simply moving furniture around to cover stains and spills won’t do you any favor. Instead, you should seek for professional cleaning methods to prevent stains from forming in the first place. Professional carpet cleaning technicians at My Carpet Doctor can help you get rid of all spills and stains in almost no time.
8. Beware Of The Norovirus
The Norovirus can cause symptoms that are similar to food poisoning. This virus can survive in your carpets for more than one month. The moment it becomes airborne, people are at risk of inhaling it. When it reaches your gut the Norovirus can wreak havoc on your health (and on your wallet, as you’d have to seek for expensive medical care). To prevent this from happening, you do need to clean your carpets regularly to ensure they are always virus-free.
9. Carpets Are Dirtier Than Toilet Seats
Carpeting is beautiful and comfortable. This is why so many people choose it over other flooring solutions. It is perfect for those who enjoy walking barefoot or for those who want their toddlers to be safe while the roam around the house. Nonetheless, traffic makes carpeting dirty over time. Before you even know it, you’re standing on a source of germs and allergens that’s about 4,000 dirtier than your toilet seat.
10. The Benefits Of Regular Cleaning
How often do you wast your clothes and your bed linen? Do you ever wash your shirts or your socks after wearing them once? Are you doing it because they look dirty or because they are full of germs? Most of us overlook the need for regular carpet cleaning, as we are way too busy juggling our day to day chores and responsibilities. If you want to live in a germ-free house, you have two basic solutions: clean your carpets yourself or hire a professional cleaning service to do it. When making your choice, consider that professional carpet cleaning can remove about 98% of all dirt and bacteria. Nevertheless, if you only do it once or twice a year, you allow germs to grow and thrive on your carpets. The best thing to do is to choose both professional cleaning and DIY cleaning.
